Being grateful is so important.
Whenever you have life changing events, being grateful can be a game changer. You’re given the opportunity to focus on the negatives of your situation OR you can focus on the things to be grateful for and all the positive things in your life.
I truly believe that a gratefulness practice is something that everyone should do and benefits from. But having a gratefulness practice is especially important if you have a chronic illness. I say this because it’s so easy to look at the things we can’t do anymore, at the countless doctors appointments, hundreds of needle pricks, the mounds of medical bills and the handfuls of pills that we need to take and really dwell on the negatives.
Long story short, it can be extremely hard.
But whenever we put things into perspective and look at the things that we do have, we can shift our mental state to that of a more positive one.
Every November, at least here in the United States, Facebook and Twitter ends up post after post of things that people are grateful for. IT IS AMAZING! I wish it would continue all year long – not only in the month of November.
This year, I have decided to create an Instagram challenge, during the month of November, that will help challenge those living with chronic conditions to look for the positives in the life. In doing so, they’ll begin to embrace the things they should be grateful for in their lives! I really hope to help facilitate a shift in mental states and have our community more focused on the positives by December 1.
I can’t do it alone and I am joined by some amazing hosts.
Check these awesome people out:
Aimee (@fitaimee_ra // Stronger Than RA) is a Rheum athlete who strives to live an active life. She is such a positive source of motivation and health. Aimee shows other patients that by modifying exercises, eating healthy and approaching your health in a holistic way, you really can thrive.
Alan (@abrewington // Pain Talks) is an ePatient Advocate I had the pleasure of meeting on Twitter. He’s making a difference in this life by using his own patients story to help current and future patients. He is an advisor at Stanford Medicine X and is always good for some social media support what you’re having a bad day.
Ashley (@ambshuck // Arthritis Ashley) is a writer and an amazing advocate for rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, lupus, among many other causes. Ashley is a great source of inspiration and is awesome at facilitating discussions between patients to share ideas, share stories and share experiences.
Gwendolyn (@life_love_and_lavendar_blog // Gwendolyn Fiola) is a beautiful soul. Her inspirational posts on Instagram help lift everyone up and help to show that love can truly survive anything! She’s so real and down to earth – someone you definitely want on your support team!
Jessica (@jessicaGimeno // Fashionably Ill) makes chronic illness look pretty damn good. By sharing her personal struggles with bipolar II, polycystic ovarian syndrome, asthma, psoriasis, and the neuromuscular autoimmune disease Myasthenia Gravis, she’s created an environment where people feel accepted and supported.
Join in our #ChronicallyGrateful
instagram challenge!
How Does It Work?
Each day, from November 1st through November 30th, a question will be posted on instagram by one of the hosts. These questions will help us start to shift our thought process from a negative one to a more positive one! The questions will explore different facets of our #ChronicConditions that we may not often look at. Each week a winner will be chosen to receive a fabulous prize.
How Do You Play Along?
1) Follow all the hosts and the prize sponsors! (Check instagram for easy links!)
2) Repost challenge flier to get more #spoonies involved!!!!
3) Answer each question. You can do this by reposting the official #ChronicallyGrateful meme or you can post your own picture that relates to the question
4) Make sure to tag each of the hosts and include the #ChronicallyGrateful hashtag in your post so we can see it!
Each week a prize will be given out to one of the #spoonies who participated. In order to win a prize that week you must have posted each day, tagged the hosts and followed the hosts and sponsors.
Whether you’re living the #SpoonieLife, rocking an #InvisibleIllness or are #chronicallyBeautiful, rocking a #VisibleIllness – get ready to have a #Grateful November, begin to explore all the positive aspects of your #ChronicIllness, and meet new people to add to your support team!
So we hope that you will join in our challenge!
The challenge started yesterday, but it is going to the end of November! So head over to Instagram, start posting and let’s start dwelling on the positives for a change!
Use this month to help shift your mentality, meet new patients in similar situations to add to your support team, and share experiences that have helped shape you into the person you are today. Just because you have a diagnosis doesn’t mean you can’t live an absolutely wonderful life!
My hope for you is to live your best life possible. And, if you don’t believe that’s possible, at least by the end of this month you’ll have caught a glimpse of hope! This month you’ll get some tools and tricks to put in your back pocket to help propel you forward.
Let’s all add the term chronically grateful after our chronically fabulous diagnosis!
Wishing You A Pain Free Day!
